PONTIAC, Mich. — Oakland County Circuit Judge Jacob Cunningham signed an order Wednesday keeping his temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of Michigan's abortion ban in “full force and effect” until he decides on a broader request for a preliminary injunction.
Cunningham made the announcement at the start of what is expected to be a two-day hearing over the potential for a preliminary injunction. Such as order would block county prosecutors from enforcing the state's abortion law as the courts consider a lawsuit brought by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seeking to overturn the abortion ban as unconstitutional.
The evidentiary hearing began Wednesday in Oakland Circuit Court with attorneys renewing their arguments for and against the temporary ban and medical experts weighing in from the witness stand. It appears to be the first court hearing in the nation held about the impact of a state abortion law since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and return abortion policy decisions to the states.
